Elemental Changes
by Element07
Summary: After being wounded at the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione decides to become an Animagus. But, shortly after she finishes her training, a new prophecy is set in motion with her and three others at its center. HP HG/GW DM. New title and summary. REVIEW!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer-I don't own _Harry Potter_, and I never will.

A/N- This is my version of the end of the series. Hermione and Ron never kissed and Fred is still alive (Percy died instead of him). REVIEW!

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Hermione gasped in pain as her shoulder was slashed open by Bellatrix's unrelenting storm of curses. With Harry dead there was no hope left within Hermione that she would walk away from this battle, and she no longer cared. Her best friend was dead, her other best friend no longer had feelings for her and bodies of people that she cared about were piling up around her.

Bellatrix sent another Sectumsempra spell at Hermione, in hopes of finishing her off while she lay wounded and gasping for breath. Hermione closed her eyes and waited for death to take her away from a world where she was hated because of her muggle heritage.

_I'm coming Harry_, she thought calmly. _Wait for me._

"Hermione! Protego!"

Hermione opened her eyes and felt tears of joy spring to her eyes when she saw who her savior was. "Harry!" she cried happily, wincing at the pain in her shoulder.

There he was, standing in front of her. His robes were torn, his hair messier than usual and he had a few cuts and bruises lining his face, but he had never looked better. He held Malfoy's wand out in front of him and launched a number of spells. Things were soon getting too blurry for Hermione to follow as her shoulder continued to bleed freely. Harry turned around and gasped at the condition his friend was in.

"Oh, 'Mione," he whispered. He turned around and saw Mrs. Weasley dueling Bellatrix, giving him time to help his ailing friend. "You just need to hang in there," he said fiercely while he tore apart his robe and pressed it into her shoulder. "It's almost over," he promised.

"You're alive," Hermione mumbled sleepily as her eyelids began to close. "I was so scared that you were going to leave us…leave me."

Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. "I'm right here and I won't leave you again, but you have to do the same for me. " Harry heard a scream and turned just in time to see Bellatrix fall and Voldemort scream in rage. "I need to finish this," he told Hermione quickly. "You need to be here when I get back."

"Hurry back," Hermione pleaded softly.

Hermione forced herself to stay awake and was dimly aware of Ginny and Luna rushing to her side to apply pressure to her shoulder.

"Don't do this Hermione," Ginny sniffed. "It's almost over."

"What's happening?"

Ginny turned over and reported everything that was going on between Harry and Voldemort. "Harry is telling You-know-who about how his wand won't work for him because of Malfoy, I don't really understand. You-know-who has sent a killing curse at Harry and Harry has sent a disarming spell. Why would Harry try to disarm him now? There's no way that Expelliarmus is strong enough."

"Did it work?" Hermione asked while her eyes started to flutter shut again.

"I'm not sure," Ginny admitted. "Their wands are connected and something's happening. Voldemort's curse has been repelled! I don't believe it! Harry has Voldemort's wand and Voldemort isn't getting back up!"

Hermione opened her eyes and tried to focus. "Voldemort is dead?" she asked, almost in disbelief. "Is Harry okay?"

"He's fine," Ginny assured her. "He's coming over, I'll leave you two alone and I'll go get Madam Pomfrey with Luna."

"Thanks," Hermione slurred. Her entire body was beginning to go numb and she couldn't even feel it when Harry took Ginny's place and applied pressure to her terrible shoulder wound. "You won," she mused. "It's hard to believe that it's over."

"It's not over yet. We need to get you taken care of first," Harry told her. "I don't understand why you had to face off against Bellatrix after what she did to you at Malfoy Manor. You knew what she was capable of and yet you went right back to her."

"You did the same every time with Voldemort," Hermione retaliated softly. "Is Ron okay? How many people did we lose?"

Harry grasped Hermione's hand with one of his own while keeping pressure on her shoulder. "I don't know where Ron is, but I have to believe that he's fine and so do you. He'll come find us and the two of you will finally be able to get together."

Hermione's eyes shot open and filled up with tears at Harry's words. "Ron and I decided to remain friends. Things would get too crazy for me, so I told him that I didn't know if we were compatible and he agreed."

"I'm sorry," Harry said. "When did this happen?"

"When we were in the Chamber of Secrets. I'm sad now, but I really do think that it's for the best."

Harry didn't get the chance to respond when Ginny came at a sprint with Madam Pomfrey at her heels. Only when Ginny pulled him away did Harry let go of Hermione's hand. Madam Pomfrey made quick work to stop the bleeding and cleaned the wound with a flick of her wand.

"I want her taken to the hospital wing," she told Harry and Ginny. "Be careful with her shoulder, I don't want her losing any more blood."

"She'll be okay won't she?" Harry asked worriedly. He looked down and saw that Hermione was barely conscious and her face was almost as white as a ghost.

"She'll be fine if she doesn't lose any more blood. You just need to get her settled and I'll come by shortly."

Before Harry could ask any more questions Madam Pomfrey was rushing off to anybody she could find. Harry grunted in frustration before he carefully picked up Hermione bridal style. Hermione moaned softly in pain and opened her eyes.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, but Ginny and I are taking you to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can treat you better," Harry told her.

"Then stop clutching my shoulder so hard," she complained. "Madam Pomfrey didn't heal me completely and I don't want to pass out."

"You must be feeling better if you're criticizing him on how he carries you," Ginny teased her.

"I'm dizzy and my shoulder is killing me," Hermione admitted. "But it's already feeling a little better."

Harry loosened his death grip on her shoulder and moved his hand to her waist causing Hermione to blush. "Is that better, Hermione?" he asked softly.

"Much," she muttered. Turning to Ginny she asked, "Have you seen Ron?"

Ginny shook her head anxiously. "No, but I'll go look for him now. I'll meet you guys at the hospital wing."

"Thanks Gin," Harry breathed.

Carrying Hermione up to the hospital wing without disturbing her injury proved to be a rather difficult task. Every step that he took caused Hermione to drop a little further in his arms, and every time that this happened she would gasp in pain.

"Harry, are you bouncing me on purpose?" Hermione teased after the tenth time Harry almost dropped her.

"Hey give me a break," he joked weakly. "I'm exhausted. I fought in a large battle, died and defeated the most powerful dark wizard all in one night."

Hermione opened her glassy eyes and gave Harry a thin smile. "You'll need a bed in the hospital wing just to sleep. Are we almost there?"

"Almost," he promised her. "You really scared me back there. I almost didn't make it in time to protect you. I'm sorry," he added sheepishly.

"You saved me, that's all that matters," she yawned. "Madam Pomfrey will heal me, and once we find Ron the three of us will be able to help everyone else."

Harry didn't respond. The thought of all the casualties from the war made his stomach drop. Neither him nor Hermione spoke until they reached the hospital wing. The hospital wing was crowded and it took Harry a while to find an empty bed to set his wounded friend in. Harry took a quick look at her shoulder and was relieved to find that it hadn't opened during their trek to the hospital wing.

"Who else is here?" Hermione asked Harry timidly.

"I saw Fred sitting with Charlie when we came in. Charlie looks a little banged up, but I didn't notice anything that serious. There are a few of the Order here and I can see Lavender from here getting her leg looked at."

Hermione sank down into her pillows and sighed. "Fred must feel terrible about Percy. That killing curse was aimed at him, but he moved and it hit Percy instead."

"That feeling will never leave him," Harry agreed.

Madam Pomfrey arrived at the hospital wing about ten minutes later with a levitating Kingsley right in front of her. Hermione tried to sit up to get a better look at her friend, but Harry pressed down firmly on her uninjured shoulder.

"Is he okay?" Hermione asked.

"There's not a lot blood," Harry observed. "I can't really tell from here, but I'm sure that he's fine."

Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply Ron and Ginny burst into the hospital wing, panting. Harry noticed them as well and stood up to wave them over.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Ron panted when he reached her.

"Been better," she sighed. "Bellatrix slashed my shoulder open pretty bad, and I'm feeling pretty tired."

Ron took a seat on Hermione's other side and grasped her hand. "Has Madam Pomfrey seen you yet? You're really pale."

Hermione shook her head slowly and sighed. "She helped me earlier, but there are others who need her help more than me."

They waited for another fifteen minutes before Madam Pomfrey came to check up on Hermione. She forced Hermione to drink a couple of potions; one to help restore blood faster and one to help her sleep.

"You should take it," Harry urged Hermione when she voiced her desire to stay awake.

"I need to know who's alive," she pleaded. "Just a little while longer."

"No," Harry and Ron said firmly. "We'll give you a full report when you wake up," Harry promised.

Finally accepting defeat, Hermione drank the potion and felt her last thread of consciousness fade, and her last thoughts hanging in her mind were; the battle with Voldemort may be over, but the war was far from done.

* * *

A/N- I know that I rushed the final battle a lot, but this is just the prologue. Next chapter- the costs of the final battle with Voldemort. Who lived and who died. REVIEW!!!


	2. Memorial

A/N- Here's the next chapter. I know that I haven't updated since my first post, and I want readers to know that I do think about this story, it's just not a priority. It would move up on my priority list if I got reviews though *hint* *hint*

Hermione grunted in frustration as she came to yet another dead end in her research. Piles of wasted parchment were beginning to take over her office. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione had returned to finish her education, which lead to her amazing NEWT scores and an offer to work at the Ministry of Magic.

After Hermione had rested up in the hospital wing, Harry had taken her to the Weasley's home for her to finish recovering. While Hermione recuperated under the watchful eye of Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ron had returned to Grimmauld's Place along with Mr. Weasley and Kingsley to renew the charms on Harry's house so that no remaining Death Eaters could ever enter without his consent. Even though Harry knew that Hermione still had to find her parents and take the spell off of them, and that she planned to return to school, Harry had offered a room at Grimmauld's Place if she wanted to move out of her parent's house; an offer that she took him up on after they graduated from Hogwarts.

Today was the three year anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, and there were still Death Eaters that the Aurors had failed to catch. Hermione glanced at her watch and realized that she had to leave in a minute. With a flick of her wand, she cleared the room and sighed in content at the sight of the floor.

A quick flash of pain came and went quickly from her shoulder as she pocketed her wand. Hermione slowly pulled her robe down and looked at the pink scar that ran down to right above her chest. Madam Pomfrey had done a brilliant job healing her, but because Hermione was cursed by dark magic the scar refused to fade and it often caused her pain. Hermione refused to let anyone know when she was in pain and so far only Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey knew about it.

_If Harry and Ron ever find out_, Hermione thought wearily. _They'll feel terrible that they weren't there to protect me._

As if on cue Harry entered her office with Ron in tow. Before they could see her scar, Hermione pulled her robes off and stood to greet them.

"You're right on time," Hermione said grimly. "This doesn't get any easier, the more we do it."

Ron went right up to Hermione and gave her a tight hug. Even though they decided to remain friends, they were still as close as ever and they now rarely fought.

"I hate it too," he sighed. "But we owe it to them to go."

"I'll be ready in just a second," Hermione sighed. Hermione opened a drawer in her desk and quickly packed up numerous pieces of parchment in her bag. Date or no date, there was work to be done that night.

Once Hermione had gathered up all of her necessary supplies, she led Harry and Ron out of her office which locked itself once Hermione left the room. Neither of them spoke as they made their way to the Ministry's lobby which now held a memorial for all of the lives lost.

"So how's little Teddy doing?" Ron asked Harry in an effort to break the silence.

"He's getting bigger all the time," Harry said with a weak smile. "He'll be too big for 'Dromeda to handle soon, but I know that it'll break her heart to live without her grandson after losing her husband and then her daughter. " Harry cleared his throat when his voice started to choke up at the end.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Today is about remembering our friends," she sniffed. "Let's try to remember them for who they were, not who they left behind."

"When'd you get so wise?" Ron teased her.

"When I aced my NEWTs," Hermione teased in return.

"I did well enough on my NEWTs to become an Auror," Ron laughed. "Grades only get you so far, Harry and I have the instincts that are crucial in the Auror field."

Hermione's scar stung harshly when Ron absent-mindedly reminded her of how Bellatrix had nearly killed her during their duel. "I'll stick to office life, thank you very much," she said coldly.

Ron looked confused at Hermione's change of tone, but he didn't press her. Hermione had mood changes like this more and more frequently ever since the Battle at Hogwarts, but he didn't understand why. Everyone said that war affects everyone differently, and that answer was enough for Ron to know to give her some space.

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled when she realized she had snapped again_. They don't know_, she reminded herself. _They don't know the pain that I'm in. It's like being struck by the curse over and over again._

"It's alright 'Mione," Ron assured her. "Today isn't a happy day for anyone."

Harry looked at Hermione with concern in his green eyes. Ron only noticed a mood swing every now and then, but none of them escaped Harry's watchful eye.

Hermione lead the way to the Ministry of Magic's lobby and kept walking to the center where a fountain, then a pile of muggle bones once stood. Now in that same space stood a new fountain with a statue of Albus Dumbledore standing in the middle. Underneath where Dumbledore's feet stood was a plaque that was covered with the names of who had been killed during the war.

The trio walked up to the fountain and Hermione conjured a bouquet of white roses and placed them on the fountain's edge. There was a large assortment of flowers and other memoirs surrounding the fountain, and the lobby was filled with witches and wizards with their heads bowed in grief.

Hermione sniffed and grabbed for both Harry's and Ron's hands while she said a prayer. "Today we gather here to remember those who fought so bravely for the right cause and lost their lives in the process. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten; even after we die ourselves their memory will live on."

There was a wide assortment of names on the plaque, but the one name that stuck out the most and made all three of them cry was the bold name that stood right underneath Dumbledore's.

_**Rubeus Hagrid**_

* * *

Hermione sat patiently at Headmistress McGonagall's office for her meeting. A week after they had gathered at the fountain, she had received an owl from the current Headmistress, asking Hermione for a meeting. She half-hoped that Minerva was going to offer her another teaching position at Hogwarts, but Hermione loved her work at the Ministry too much to leave just yet.

The doors opened and Professor McGonagall entered and sat down tiredly behind Dumbledore's old desk. The portraits in the office greeted her energetically and McGonagall waved to them in response. Dumbledore's portrait gave Hermione a small wink, causing another flash of pain in her shoulder. Recently, Hermione had discovered that the pain in her shoulder occurred more often whenever she felt a strong wave of grief or another powerful emotion.

"I know that I didn't explain to you why I wished to meet today," McGonagall started. "Even though that teaching position is always open to you, that is not why I wanted to see you today."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "Then why did you wish to see me today?"

McGonagall pulled an old textbook out of her desk and offered it to Hermione who took it tentatively. "I have been debating with myself for a while about this, and I have recently made a decision. There are still numerous Death Eaters out there who wish to kill you, Potter, and Weasley. I do not worry too much about Potter or Weasley because they are trained Aurors and are perfectly capable of taking out their attackers, not that you aren't," she added hastily. "What worries me is your injury. As long as that scar causes you pain, you won't be able to protect yourself as effectively as needed."

"What are you trying to tell me Professor?" Hermione asked quietly.

McGonagall gave Hermione a small smile. "I want to train you to become an Animagus."

* * *

A/N- I know it's not very long, but that's the most I'm able to write at the moment. Hopefully, I'll get another chapter up during May


	3. Work

**A/N- Sorry! I honestly meant to update during May, but moving and work took up a lot of my time. I am serious though when I say that I'll update quicker if I get more reviews!**

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Hermione stared at Headmistress McGonagall for a few moments, just thinking over what she was being offered. Becoming an Animagus took years to learn and even then, not every witch or wizard could do it. Hermione had read about numerous occasions when an attempted Animagus transformation had gone so wrong that the poor wizard or witch ended up with a permanent partial transformation. Most of the time the unsuccessful attempts resulted in a tail, something that didn't sound appealing to Hermione at all after her "cat incident" during her second year at Hogwarts.

"You want to train me?" Hermione asked for the fifth time. "But, I thought that you were against teaching it."

Headmistress McGonagall scoffed scornfully. "Come now Hermione, I know that you're quicker than this. Even though it is incredibly difficult, becoming an Animagus is a very useful defensive strategy. I don't think that you will have too many difficulties with it."

Hermione winced when her anxiety sent another wave of pain through her shoulder. "Won't we have to do this training with the Ministry breathing down our necks? I know that there is a new decree that Kingsley has passed that states that it is very selective process because they don't want everyone trying it. I guess I'm just worried that I won't be able to do it with such a tight leash."

McGonagall chuckled and shook her head. "I think we'll take the Marauder's route this time. I'll talk to Kingsley, he may be the Minister of Magic now, but he still has time for an old friend."

Training illegally sounded about as appealing to Hermione as growing a tail. "Kingsley may be a friend, but he'll still want an explanation."

"That's true," McGonagall agreed. "If it's alright with you, I would like to explain to him my reasoning. I promise that your secret will remain hidden from Misters Potter and Weasley."

Hermione gave a small smile. "As long as no one else knows, I'm alright with it. So…when do we start? Harry told me that it took his father years to accomplish it, and I don't have that much time to dedicate to training."

McGonagall rubbed her chin absent-mindedly. "Time would be an issue for me as well, but I have another illegal solution to that problem."

"Wow Professor," Hermione teased. "The illegal option seems to be your favorite one; you've been spending too much time with the twins."

"More than enough," McGonagall groaned. "They set up another shop in Hogsmeade and now I see them plenty. Anyway, are you interested or is this a little too much for you to handle?"

Hermione scowled a little bit. "I'll do it," she said, unable to resist a challenge. "So what's your solution to our time problem?"

Without answering directly, Headmistress McGonagall opened a desk drawer and pulled something out. It was a small hourglass that was attached on a gold chain. Hermione stared at it, confused.

"How do you have a time-turner? I thought we destroyed them all when Harry led us to the Ministry to rescue Sirius."

McGonagall smiled and placed the time-turner on the desk. "You did, but luckily I still had this one in my possession. A certain student of mine used this to take a double course load during her second year, and I have just failed to return it. And it's a good thing that I did; otherwise all of them would be lost."

Hermione reached forward and took the familiar time-turner off the desk and felt the chain slide between her fingers. She smiled when she remembered all the times she had used it during her stressful third year. "This is great; with this we can possibly finish my training in a weekend if we push through it."

McGonagall nodded and held out her hand for Hermione to return the time-turner. "I would like you to take that book I gave you home for the week and give it a good read through. Tell Misters Potter and Weasley that you will be away for the weekend and I will also clear my schedule. I feel that it would be best if we do your training somewhere outside of Hogwarts, we wouldn't want Harry to see you on that map of his."

"Where should we meet? It would need to be secure."

McGonagall chuckled and leaned back in her chair. "Have you ever been to my house?"

* * *

Harry was completely swamped with paperwork. If anybody asked him if an Auror's life was filled with nothing but excitement and glory, he would laugh in their face. He pulled a rather large file and opened it up to examine the contents. Finding the remaining Death Eaters occupied most of his time as Head Auror, and he felt that he seldom had time to do anything else with his life. Harry and Ron agreed that capturing the head Death Eater took priority, and having a life could come after that. Even though it was Friday, Harry had no intention of taking the weekend off. He would do anything it took to capture him.

A knock on the door brought Harry back to reality. "Come in!" he yelled, tearing his eyes away from the folder for a brief second.

The door opened slowly to reveal a wide-eyed Hermione. She had a nervous smile on her face when she entered Harry's office. Harry noticed right away that Hermione was carrying an overnight bag, but he couldn't recall where she was going.

"Hey Hermione," he greeted cheerfully. "Are you going somewhere?"

Hermione chuckled and grasped the shoulder strap that rested on her unscarred shoulder a little tighter. "I'm leaving for the weekend. I have business to take care of. I just thought that you would like to know, but by the looks of it, you'll be busy this weekend as well."

Harry laughed and shut the file. "We have a new lead and I plan on spending my time following it and picking up others. So where will you be going?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow slightly. "You've been working too hard Mr. Potter," she said in a teasing tone. "You sound like you're interrogating me."

"I guess I am," Harry admitted with a smile. They shared a quick laugh and for a moment Harry remembered the feeling of warmth that filled his chest whenever Hermione laughed. "So we'll see you back home on Sunday?"

"You will, but if you need to reach me your Patronis would work. I already said goodbye to Ron, and now that I've said goodbye to you I'll head out."

Hermione gave Harry a small wave and left his office just as quickly as she had come. Harry felt a small twinge at her absence, but it was becoming familiar these days. Before Harry could pick the folder back up the door to his office opened up suddenly and Hermione poked her head in sheepishly.

"I know you'll find Lucius," she said softly. "But working yourself to death won't help anyone. So please take care of yourself."

Then she left just as quickly as she had come, and Harry was left with a nagging thought that he was losing his best friend.

* * *

Hermione panted heavily and collapsed from exhaustion for the third time while she failed again. Headmistress McGonagall sat in a comfortable armchair and looked on anxiously while her prized student struggled to grasp her animal transformation.

Even though it was only Saturday, in reality Hermione had been training for almost a year. Hermione had insisted that they push as hard as they could, no matter what. But, she didn't realize until now just how exhausting becoming an Animagus was.

"Hermione," McGonagall said as soon as Hermione pulled herself to her feet. "I am telling you now, to rest. We still have a lot of time, but it won't do us any good if you lose consciousness for most of it."

"But Professor," Hermione said, referring to her as 'Professor' out of habit. "I can feel my animal; it's just out of my reach. You said that I have to transform my nature and my body will follow, but it fails just when I'm about to grasp it."

McGonagall got to her feet and helped Hermione into the soft armchair. Then she pulled her want out and conjured another chair for herself. Then the two women relaxed and ate the sandwiches that one of McGonagall's house-elves brought.

"I think you're trying too hard," McGonagall said bluntly. "Finding your animal spirit is the first step, and you grasped that concept quickly. The next step is changing your very nature into your animal's which is more difficult. The final step is following your nature transformation into your physical transformation."

Hermione groaned tiredly. She had found her 'animal nature' as McGonagall had put it, in a month, and she had been trying to grasp it ever since. "I hate failing," she said miserably. "I thought that I would be able to do this if I studied enough, but nothing I read helped. Am I missing something?"

McGonagall took a sip of tea and thought of something that might help her student overcome this obstacle. "Why are you doing this Hermione?" she asked suddenly, taking Hermione by surprise.

"I'm doing this so I can protect myself," Hermione answered as if the answer was obvious. "I don't want Ron or Harry to have to worry about me, I cause them enough worry and I can't bear doing it anymore."

"So you're doing this for Harry," McGonagall stated with a knowing smile.

"And Ron," Hermione added a little hastily.

McGonagall pointed her wand and said "_Accio Photo Album_."

A large photo album burst through the doors to their training room and hovered right in front of McGonagall's face. She lowered her wand and took the album and began to search through it. After a minute of searching, she pulled a small photo out of the book and gave it to Hermione. Gingerly, Hermione took it and felt a small sad smile form when she saw whose it was.

It was Harry. It looked like it was taken when they were eighteen, when they went back to Hogwarts for their seventh year. McGonagall had insisted that they let her take Harry's, Hermione's and Ron's picture. Apparently she had a tradition of taking every Gryffindor's picture during their final year at Hogwarts, and the Trio was no exception. Harry had a big grin on his face; Hermione remembered that it was taken just after she had been made Head Girl. She couldn't believe how proud Harry was of her; in fact that was the first time that Harry had made Hermione's heart fill up with warmth.

"When I started training to become an Animagus," McGonagall started. "I was in love with a wonderful wizard, he was so brave and strong and even more skilled in transfiguration than I am. He didn't know I what I was trying to accomplish, if he did I don't think he would have allowed me to continue. I had a difficult time grasping my nature, but one day, before I left to train; he gave me a locket with both of our pictures in it. He had even enchanted it so that it felt warm whenever I thought of him, just to remind me that he loved me very much."

"That's very romantic," Hermione said with a smile.

"Very," McGonagall agreed. "Anyway, when I started training again and I began to fail, I thought of him and the locket began to feel warm, and it was very comforting. Knowing that he loved helped my reasons for doing this harsh training seem irrelevant. So, I focused on him and everything got so much easier."

Hermione looked at Harry's photo and felt the familiar sensation of warmth in her heart, accompanied with a stinging shoulder. "But Harry and I don't love each other," she said in a small voice.

"But he cares deeply for you. Keep that photo on you when you train, and feel his presence." McGonagall stiffly stood up and waved her wand to transfigure her chair into a soft, comfy bed. "I want you to rest now for a few hours. Don't worry," she added when Hermione opened her mouth to object. "We'll get those hours back; you wouldn't believe how many rooms I have ready for our training."

Hermione nodded and crawled into the bed. After making sure that Harry's picture wouldn't be damaged, she put it in a pocket in her robes, right above her heart. She fell asleep feeling Harry very close to her heart.

* * *

Harry packed up Lucius Malfoy's file and gave a flick of his wand to blow out the candles that filled his office with plenty of light. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Lucius had taken over as head Death Eater, and had abandoned his wife and son so that they would take the fall. Even though there was no Dark Lord anymore, Lucius felt that the pureblood supremacy was too important to give up. There was always something involving him.

With a huge yawn, Harry left his office and walked to the Floo Ports. Even though he could apparate from his office, Harry enjoyed taking the Floo more. The Ministry was pretty much abandoned; not many people worked as late on Sunday as he did. Before Harry made it to the Floo, he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and saw Fred running towards him.

"Hey Fred," he greeted. "What're you doing here?"

Fred had a smile on his face, but there were wrinkles on his forehead that were too early for his years. "I had an appointment here to discuss our latest W.W.W. product. Apparently one of our products got in the hands of a muggle and the Ministry had to _Obliviate_ a whole classroom of muggles."

Harry laughed with Fred, but he noticed that Fred's laughter didn't reach his eyes. Ever since Percy had died, a part of Fred had died too. Hermione had called it 'Survivor's Guilt' and that it happened all the time with people who survived a war, but she said that it must have been even worse for Fred because he felt that it was his fault that his older brother was dead.

"So what was the product?" Harry asked.

Fred had a mischievous grin on his face. "George and I had been trying to perfect them for years, we call them Animagus Bars, they do partial Animagus transformations, you know tails, ears and such. Apparently someone bought one and it someone made its way into a muggle's lunch bag and was eaten for snack."

"Is the Ministry putting a ban on this product?" Harry asked, feeling stupid because he should have heard about that incident.

"No, because I assured him that we would work on a way to make sure that our products only work on magical folks. It'll take a while, but George and I will manage."

Harry nodded and led the way to the Floo. "If you can manage that, your name will go down in history and I might have to ask you for products in the future."

"We'd be happy to have the 'Famous Harry Potter's' business," Fred laughed. "Especially if it helped the Ministry, then Mum can't say that we don't make a difference in the world."

Harry laughed and shook Fred's hand. "You and George should come by Grimmauld's sometime for dinner; we don't see much of each other these days."

"Will do Mr. Auror," Fred laughed. With a wave, he apparated away, leaving Harry alone.

Harry stepped into the fireplace and took a small handful of Floo powder from the pouch he kept attached to his belt. He took a deep breath and threw the powder in the fire while calling out "Grimmauld's Place".

In less than a minute, Harry stepped out of his fireplace into his home. Grimmauld's Place was a much more cheerful place ever since Harry, Ron and Hermione had moved in. With Hermione's wide knowledge of spells, they managed to make the place more suitable to live in. After a lot of research, Hermione had even managed to remove the Permanent Stick Charm that kept Mistress Black's portrait on the wall. Out of compassion for Kreacher, they shrank the portrait and gave it to Kreacher to keep in his den.

Before Harry had even been home for a minute, Kreacher came running in. He wore a pillowcase and Regulus' locket on his chest. Kreacher was a proud servant to Harry, and Harry truly enjoyed Kreacher's company.

"Good day Master Harry," Kreacher greeted with a small bow. "Kreacher has made dinner and will have it heated up and ready for Master Harry while Master Harry cleans up."

"Thanks Kreacher," Harry said with a smile. "Is Ron home?"

"Master Ron arrived home five minutes before Master Harry; Kreacher will summon Masters Ron and Harry when dinner is ready."

Harry took off his traveling robe and handed it to Kreacher's waiting arms. "Sounds good Kreacher. Has Hermione returned home yet?"

Kreacher dusted off Harry's cloak and hung it on the coat rack that stayed next to the fireplace. "Kreacher has not seen Mistress Hermione yet, but Mistress Hermione told Kreacher that Mistress Hermione might not be home until late. Kreacher will save Mistress Hermione some dinner."

"Thanks Kreacher," Harry said again. He left Kreacher downstairs and headed upstairs to his room.

Harry had taken the master bedroom and the smaller room next to it so he had an office that was separate from his bedroom. No one had touched Sirius' room or Regulus' room, Ron lived on the same floor as Harry, and Hermione lived a floor above.

Harry had offered Hermione his room, but Hermione had insisted that she needed more space for an office and peace and quiet when she brought work home. The truth was, and Harry knew it, that Hermione wanted to be alone and away from her best friends.

When Harry opened the door to his room, Ron stuck his head out of his room further down the hall and gave Harry a small wave.

"Hey mate," he said tiredly. "The lead was a dead end; I'll give the details downstairs."

"Thanks Ron," Harry sighed. "I just wanta take a quick shower."

Harry stepped into his room and smiled at the peaceful feeling that he always got whenever he entered. There were photos covering the fall wall. When he moved in, Harry wanted to feel surrounded by everyone he loved and he had turned the wall into a reminder of why he fought so hard. The most common of the photos were ones of his parents, Sirius, Lupin, Ron and Hermione. He wanted memoirs of his past and his present.

He threw his bag on his bed and took a quick shower. Not taking particular care about what he looked like at dinner, he put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. After spending a whole day in his office robes, Harry just wanted to feel comfortable.

Just as Harry finished getting dressed there was a knock on the door. Kreacher poked his head in and bowed while he announced that dinner was ready.

"I'll be right down," Harry assured him.

Quickly, Harry unpacked his bag and looked at Lucius' large file. _Another dead end_, Harry thought bitterly. _How does he keep managing to evade us?_

Harry walked downstairs and felt his mouth water slightly when he smelled the dinner that Kreacher had made for them. By the time Harry entered the dining room Ron was already almost finished with his first helping.

"Slow down Ron," Harry laughed. "It's not going anywhere."

"I've been in the field all day," Ron said with his mouth full. "We didn't run into trouble, but it's not like there was time for a lunch break."

Harry accepted a bowl of French onion soup from Kreacher and began to eat. "So, was the lead a bust? Or did it come too late?"

Ron swallowed and sighed. "The lead was good, but Lucius was a step ahead as usual. I don't understand how he can be so evasive."

"Me neither," Harry admitted while he took another sip of soup.

A loud 'pop' took their minds out of 'Auror Mode' and they turned their heads to see Kreacher running towards the door.

"Good evening Mistress Hermione," he greeted cheerfully. "Did your business trip go well?"

"Very well Kreacher," Hermione said. Harry couldn't see her from where he was sitting, but he could tell by the sound of her voice that she was exhausted.

"Would Mistress Hermione like something to eat?"

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry. I'll just go upstairs and go to bed."

Hermione walked into the kitchen and Harry and Ron both stood up in worry at the sight of her. There were huge bags under her eyes, her skin was pale, and her hair was even messier than usual.

"Bloody hell Hermione," Ron gasped. "What kind of business trip were you on? You're a mess!"

"Thank you Ronald," Hermione said a little coldly. "I had a lot of work to do, and I didn't have much time to care about my appearance."

Harry pulled a chair out and motioned for Hermione to sit. When she hesitated he said, "I want to know how your weekend was. Kreacher," he added, turning to the waiting house-elf. "Would you please ignore Hermione's wishes and warm her up something to eat?"

Kreacher grinned and ran into the kitchen to fix up a plate of food. Hermione scowled at Harry, but took the offered chair. She sat down heavily and tried to take off her traveling cloak. Harry frowned and stood up to help her take it off.

"Are you okay Hermione?" he asked worriedly. "You look exhausted."

Hermione laid her head on her arms on the table and sighed. "I had a lot of work to do, and I didn't have a lot of time to do it."

"So you skipped on meals and sleep?" Harry began to massage her shoulders; every muscle was ridiculously stiff.

"I skipped if needed," Hermione groaned.

Kreacher came running in with a bowl of soup before Harry could ask any more questions. The soup was still steaming and Hermione reluctantly lifted her head up. She managed to eat half the bowl while answering the scattered questions before she shakily stood up.

"I'm taking tomorrow off," she yawned. "Thanks for the soup Kreacher, I'm not very hungry."

"Would Mistress Hermione like some chamomile tea in her room?" Kreacher asked while he took the bowl away.

"Thank you Kreacher, but I don't think I'll need it. Good night everyone."

Harry watched anxiously while Hermione left the dining room. Nobody talked until they heard her bedroom close. Once they were sure that she couldn't hear them they sighed and looked at each other.

"Hermione never takes time off of work," Ron said anxiously. "Remember when she caught that terrible flu? We had to track her down and force her to rest."

"Did you feel it?" Harry asked suddenly. "Her magic is totally exhausted; I don't think she could levitate a pencil right now if she wanted to."

Ron leaned back in his chair and bit his lip. "What kind of Muggle Relations business trip involves draining your magic to this point?"

"I don't know Ron," Harry said while walking towards the stairs. "But tomorrow I plan to find out."

* * *

**A/N- Whoo hoo! Not only an update, but a long one at that! I already have an idea about what Hermione's animal form will be, but I am open to suggestions. It needs to be an animal that fits her characteristics though! **_**Next chapter: Harry uses his Auror skills to find out what Hermione is keeping from him.**_


	4. Confrontation

**A/N- Reviews are wanted! The review button is right there! The tiniest bit of feedback would be appreciated!**

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Early Monday morning Harry woke up for another day of work, but he had a different plan of attack for today. Before bed the night before, he had asked Ron to handle the office while Harry did a little digging. Neither one of them had believed Hermione's excuse for why she was so magically drained, but they were determined to find out the cause.

Stepping lightly, Harry climbed the steps to the next floor where Hermione lived. This floor wasn't as bright as the one that Harry and Ron lived on, but that was part of the reason why she loved it so much. With stealth skills that only the Head Auror could possess, Harry made his way to Hermione's door and opened it without making a sound.

Hermione was fast asleep, and even though she was normally up and gone before Harry had woken up, she showed no signs of waking up soon. Her skin wasn't as pale as it had been the night before, which relieved Harry, but it was a little flushed. Frowning, Harry walked up to her and pressed his hand against her forehead.

_Damn_, he thought worriedly_. She's so drained that her body is burning up trying to recover_.

He picked up the blanket that was crumpled on the floor and laid it on her body. Hermione moaned softly and started mumbling something incoherently.

Harry stepped out and quickly walked into the kitchen where Kreacher was busy making breakfast.

"Good morning Master Harry," Kreacher greeted happily. "Kreacher is almost done preparing breakfast, there is coffee already in the dining room if Master Harry wants to join Master Ron."

"Thank you Kreacher."

Harry walked into the dining room and found Ron taking a big sip of coffee while reading the Morning Prophet. He groaned a greeting to Harry and took another sip of coffee.

"Hermione has a fever," Harry said while pulling out a chair. "Her body is working too hard to replenish its magic."

Ron set his paper down and looked at Harry. "Is it a bad fever?"

"Nothing worth a trip to the hospital, but enough to make me worry."

Ron grinned, which irritated Harry, and stood up. "You always worry too much when it comes to Hermione. I'll Floo mum and ask her for a potion that Kreacher can give Hermione while we're at work."

"Thanks mate," Harry said while Ron left to Floo his mum, knowing that she would be up despite the early hour.

Kreacher came in just as Ron left with an armful of plates containing eggs, bacon and other favorites. "Is Master Ron returning?" he asked while he laid out the dishes.

"Yeah he just went to Floo his mum. Hey Kreacher, Hermione has a magical burnout fever, Ron is asking him mum for a potion to help, but could you keep an eye on her until we get home?"

Kreacher bowed low. "Kreacher would be happy to care for Mistress Hermione. Mistress Hermione is so kind to Kreacher and others, but doesn't take care of herself."

Harry laughed. "That's Hermione alright. Thank you."

Ron returned a moment later covered with soot and carrying three vials of a green potion. "Mum says hi, and that Hermione needs to take one of these when she wakes up, at lunch, and before bed. If Hermione manages to stay in bed all day, mum said that she'll recover in a couple days, but won't need the potion after today."

He handed the potion vials to Kreacher who bowed in return. "Kreacher will make sure that Mistress Hermione takes them," he assured them.

Kreacher left the dining room and Ron sat back down to help himself to breakfast. After eating for ten minutes, Harry stood up and accepted his traveling cloak from Kreacher.

"I'm going to talk to Hermione's supervisor, and maybe even look through Hermione's office if I have to."

"She won't thank you for snooping," Ron pointed out. "Hermione has become very private ever since you killed Voldemort."

Harry put on his cloak and sighed. "If she won't tell me the truth, I'll find out myself. She did something during the weekend, and whatever it was it must've been tough to drain her like this."

Ron held his hands up defensively. "I'm not going to stop you; I'm just warning you that when she finds out I'm telling her this was all you."

"Coward," Harry said with a grin. He walked out of the dining room to the fireplace and Flooed to the Ministry.

It was crowded with tired employees, which was not uncommon for a Monday. Harry walked over to the appropriate lift and took it to the wing where Hermione worked. Hermione's department was in the far corner of the Ministry, something that always bothered her because it was like they didn't care for the work that she did.

Harry stopped right in front of the large door that marked the entrance to Hermione's boss' office. Confidently, he knocked. The doors magically swung open almost hitting Harry in the face.

"Hello Agnes," he greeted cheerfully.

Agnes was an older witch who looked to be in her sixties, and according to Hermione she was as dull as she was useless. Normally Harry would have told Hermione she was being offensive, but after meeting Agnes he realized that Hermione was being nice. Agnes spent her days separating all of her files, giving Hermione the most difficult cases and kept small cases, that wouldn't even take an hour to accomplish, for herself.

Even though Hermione had only been working for Agnes for only two years, she had been given five infield assignments and had presented fifteen muggle safety plans to Kingsley while Agnes left work early after leaving a two foot stack of work on Hermione's desk.

"She's my boss," Hermione always said whenever Harry told her to confront Agnes. "Not all of us are head of the department."

Agnes was adding another folder to the pile that Harry assumed was Hermione's when Harry walked in. Her eyebrows rose skeptically and she leaned back in her chair. She didn't like Harry anymore than he liked her.

"Hello Mr. Potter," she greeted coldly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Harry smiled cheerfully. "I just came to ask you where Hermione was working during the weekend."

"Even if Ms. Granger did have a work assignment or business trip during the weekend," she said coldly. "I would not give you that information just because you are her roommate nor would I give you that information because you are the 'famous Harry Potter'."

Not once did Harry drop his charming smile. "So Hermione didn't have an assignment during the weekend?"

Agnes looked at a file and added it to the larger pile. "Whatever Hermione did this weekend," she said dryly. "She did not come in to work today. I hope she doesn't fall too far behind considering all the new assignments she's getting."

_She's burned out and your laziness isn't helping_, Harry thought bitterly. "Thank you for your time Agnes." He gave her a small bow and left her office. Once the doors were closed, Harry took out his wand and pointed it at the doors and muttered, "_Obliviate_."

The tip of his wand glowed and Harry felt a little uneasy at modifying Agnes' memory. But, he couldn't let Agnes give Hermione a hard time on Tuesday. Feeling a little grim, he walked further down the hall until he made it to Hermione's office. When he put his hand on the handle something stung him causing him to pull away.

_Leave it to Hermione to booby trap her office when she's not here,_ Harry thought amusedly. _I wonder what sort of work she's doing that involves a Stinging Hex being set on the door._

With a quick flick of his wand, Harry got rid of the hex and he slowly opened the door. There was an alarm charm, but nothing that Harry couldn't handle.

"Come on Hermione," Harry wondered out loud. "What is so important to hide that you set traps in your office?

Carefully he walked up to her desk and looked it over. There was a large drawer that stuck out to Harry. He gently ran his hands over the handle and felt the powerful charms that were stopping him from opening it. The case files that Hermione was working on weren't protected by magic which made Harry feel pretty sure that Hermione wasn't working during the weekend.

Reaching into his pocket, Harry pulled out his favorite tool. It was the knife that Sirius had given him. It had melted when he broke into Umbridge's office during his fifth year, and he didn't manage to repair it until he became Head Auror. Now it was charmed to disable any and all security magic. He didn't feel right using it to open Hermione's desk, but his need to find out what she was hiding helped him push it aside.

The knife molded itself so it fit into the lock and it glowed green as it disabled any magic that guarded the drawer. Once the green faded Harry took the knife out and put it back in his pocket. He opened the drawer and saw an ancient book fitting snugly. Taking care, he pulled it out and set it on the desk. Harry felt his heart skip a beat when he read the title.

_Cursed Animagi_

* * *

Hermione groaned when she felt someone gently shake her awake. Every bone in her body hurt and she could tell that she was magically drained. Grudgingly, Hermione opened her eyes and saw Kreacher bowing low a foot away from her bed.

"Kreacher apologizes for awakening Mistress Hermione," he said earnestly. "But Kreacher needs to give Mistress Hermione her medicine."

Hermione tried to push herself up, but failed miserably. "What medicine?" she croaked.

Kreacher held out a small goblet. "Master Ron got a potion to help Mistress Hermione recover from her fever."

Hermione pressed her hand against her face and felt that it was clammy and warm. "Thank you Kreacher," she said while she took the goblet and drained it in two gulps. She immediately felt her body begin to cool and she felt her exhaustion waning a little.

She closed her eyes and Kreacher started to leave. "Kreacher will be back at lunch to give Mistress Hermione her next medicine."

"Thank you Kreacher," Hermione mumbled before she fell back asleep.

* * *

Harry came home at lunch feeling angry and betrayed. He could barely process Kreacher's greeting when the house-elf came running up to him with a bow.

"Sorry Kreacher," he said irritably. "I've just had a bad day so far."

"Do not think anything of it Master Harry," Kreacher said softly. "Is there anything Kreacher can make Master Harry for lunch?"

Harry sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll have some French onion soup if you have it. How's Hermione?"

"Mistress Hermione took her medicine earlier and Kreacher just brought her lunch and the next dose of medicine. Mistress Hermione's fever is going down, but is still exhausted."

"I'll bet," Harry mumbled. "I'm going to see her Kreacher; I'll be back down in a bit to eat."

"Kreacher will have everything ready."

"Thanks Kreacher."

Harry walked up the stairs and noticed that the door to Hermione's bedroom was open. Still angry, he walked right in without knocking, surprising Hermione so much that she nearly spilled her bowl of soup all over her lap.

"Harry," she gasped while she picked up a napkin. "What are you doing home so early?"

Harry stomped to the foot of her bed and began pacing in agitation. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded. "I don't know why or when you stopped trusting me, and I could have helped you! I wouldn't have rested until I found a way to help you!"

Hermione groaned softly and pushed herself up further. "Harry," she asked quietly. "What are you talking about?"

Harry stopped pacing and glared at her as if she dare ask that question. "I'm talking about the fact that you are cursed by dark magic!"

Hermione gasped in pain and her hand shot unwillingly to her shoulder. Eyes watering, she saw that Harry's green eyes were blazing in anger and worry at the same time. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Hermione sniffed. "I didn't want to burden you. You were so wonderful when I was recovering from the battle, and I couldn't bear telling you that Bellatrix did more than just slice my shoulder open."

Harry ran to Hermione's side and sat on the bed. "I could have helped," he said desperately.

"Do you even know what I'm cursed with?" Hermione asked. When Harry shook his head she pulled down her pajamas and showed the long scar that refused to fade. "You know how wounds caused by dark magic can't be healed with a flick of a wand."

"I remember," Harry said with a nod. "You had to recover on your own; Madam Pomfrey could only stop the bleeding and clean out the wound."

"Well, this scar will never fade, because there is dark magic trapped in it; that's why wounds caused by dark magic can't be healed or grown back."

Harry traced the scar with his finger, but pulled back in alarm when Hermione gasped in pain. "It still causes you pain?"

Hermione pulled her pajamas back up and nodded sadly. "It's been happening more often lately; normally it happens when I'm feeling a strong emotion."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Hermione took Harry's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "You need to spend your time thinking of ways to capture Lucius, not worrying over me."

Harry sighed and stood up to resume his pacing.

"How did you find out Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry gave Hermione an apologetic look. "Ron and I knew that you were lying about a business trip when we saw how magically drained you were; you didn't exactly tell a convincing lie. This morning I went to your office and I found this." He pulled an old book out of his cloak and handed it to Hermione who took it with shaky hands.

"You broke into my office?" she asked shocked. "I can't believe you invaded my privacy like that!"

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't shut me out like this!" Harry retaliated.

Hermione grasped the book tightly and glared at Harry with tear-filled eyes. "This was my business," she said firmly.

Harry groaned in frustration. "Don't you care about how you're pushing me and Ron away?" he demanded.

Hermione put the book aside, put the tray on the nightstand and swung her legs over the side of her bed. "Of course I care," she snapped while she stood on shaky legs. Harry moved forward to help her, but she stepped away. "But I can't have you two shadowing me in worry the rest of my life."

"I guess that's true," Harry muttered. "Will you just answer me this question? Were you training to be an Animagus this weekend?"

"Yes," Hermione answered after a moment's hesitation. "I was at Professor McGonagall's house."

Harry noticed that Hermione could barely stand and helped her back into bed. "So how long are you going to be training?"

Hermione crashed on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. "I finished."

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But it takes years to become an Animagus!"

Hermione grinned sadly. "Actually, I've been training for over a year."

Harry gaped at her with his mouth hanging open. "How?" he managed to croak out after a minute.

"Professor McGonagall still had the time-turner that I used during our third year. We used it multiple times a day."

"But how did you manage to hide from yourselves? I thought you weren't supposed to cross paths with yourself."

Hermione started to sink into her pillows, as if Harry's accusations were sucking what little strength she had. "Professor McGonagall used extension charms to create multiple rooms that we could train in."

Harry sighed and practically collapsed on Hermione's bed. "So, you're a registered Animagus now?"

Hermione sat back up and took Harry's hand in her own. "I'm not registered," she said honestly. "If I got registered, it would leave a paper trail which defeats the whole purpose of my training."

"You trained illegally? The best friend and roommate of England's Head Auror is an illegal Animagus," he said shocked and amused.

"Professor McGonagall thought that becoming an un-registered Animagus would help me defend myself better in case the situation calls for it."

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and looked deeply into her brown eyes. "You're afraid of what would happen if you were attacked?"

Hermione hesitated a little before nodding. "I don't want to feel helpless if my shoulder hurts me so much in battle that I can't hold my wand. One thing that Professor McGonagall and I discovered during training was that my shoulder doesn't hurt when I'm in my Animagus form."

Harry grabbed the book that lay next to Hermione and looked at the cover. "I didn't read the book; I wanted you to explain it to me. What is a 'cursed Animagus'?"

Hermione slouched slightly. "_Cursed Animagus_ is about using dark magic to become a less than traditional Animagus."

"What do you mean 'less than traditional'?"

"Because of the dark magic trapped in my shoulder, my Animagus form is rather…unusual. But it's also incredibly powerful; at least it will once I've gotten better."

Harry stood up and opened the book. He read it silently for a few minutes before he started to pale and he looked like he wanted to be sick. "You actually did this?" he didn't know whether to sound astonished or disgusted. "Bloody hell Hermione! This sounds terrible!"

Hermione giggled sadly. "It was very difficult, but the end result was worth it. I'll show you one day," she promised.

Harry closed the book and quickly gave it back to Hermione. "I'll hold you to that," he said. Quietly he added, "I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy like that. But I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"I'm sorry too, but I don't want you to fawn over me now that you know."

Harry gave Hermione a genuine smile. "I'm never going to stop caring about you, and I will always worry."

Hermione gave Harry a sly smile and laughed. "I'll show you that you don't need to worry about me, I can take care of myself."

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**A/N- Please review! I would really like to know what my readers think! The more reviews I get, the faster I update! **_**Next chapter: Trouble in London! Hermione ambushed? Can her new form save her?**_


	5. Attack!

**A/N- Geez why is everyone who reads my story too lazy to review? LOL. I just want feedback! My computer is up and running so I'll try to update more frequently to make up for the summer.**

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Three months had passed since Harry had found out about Hermione's curse mark, and he always seemed to be keeping an eye on her. They had told Ron later that night after he had come home, and his reaction had been about the same as Harry's. Now Hermione had the two top Aurors in the country watching over every move, and it was driving her crazy.

Hermione was in her office packing up her case files when a knock on the door caught her attention. She looked up and raised her eyebrow at Harry who was leaning in the doorway with a grin on his face.

"How long are you going to work today?" he asked.

Hermione scoffed and stuffed another file in her bag. "I'll work for as long as I need to," she snapped. "I lasted three years without you constantly watching my movements, and I can live a while longer."

Harry stepped inside her office and held out his hand. "Let me carry that for you; it looks like it weighs thirty pounds."

"No," Hermione said firmly while she picked up the bulging bag. "I don't need you to babysit me."

"Hermione," Harry sighed. "I don't want to have to 'babysit you' as you put it, but Lucius and some other Death Eaters have been spotted in London and neither Ron nor I want to leave you alone when you're hurt and have a huge target on your back."

Hermione glared at him and stalked out of her office with Harry following right behind her patiently. At Harry's insistence, they apparated to work together, apparated home together, and Harry had even begun to follow her to the market. The only places where Hermione could get a moment to herself was at home or at work.

Once they got to the lobby, Harry grabbed Hermione's arm and held on tightly before turning on the spot and disappearing with a 'crack'. They arrived a moment later in the Grimmauld Place kitchen. As soon as she was steady, Hermione jerked her arm away from Harry drew her hand over the fridge door, and stomped upstairs to her room.

"I'm just doing this to protect you!" Harry called up after her.

Hermione didn't reply, and Harry felt his shoulder's droop a bit. He sighed and began to rummage through the fridge for something to eat. Almost immediately, he noticed that the fridge was empty and that the shopping list on the door was gone.

_Is it Ron's turn to shop?_ Harry thought. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to find Kreacher running in the kitchen.

"Hello Kreacher," Harry greeted cheerfully. "Has Ron already gone shopping?"

Kreacher bowed and frowned a little. "Masters Harry and Ron and Mistress Hermione should let Kreacher do the shopping," he said a little scornfully.

Harry laughed lightly. "We like to do the shopping, it's nothing personal Kreacher. Plus Ron knows that I wouldn't give you money for his junk, so the only way Ron gets the food he wants is when he shops."

Kreacher mumbled something under his breath before looking up at Harry with scornful eyes. "Today is not Master Ron's turn to shop. Today is Mistress Hermione's turn."

"What?" Harry asked sharply. Thinking back to when they had apparated in the kitchen, Harry remembered Hermione brushing her hand against the fridge, it would have been easy for her to grab the list without Harry realizing it. "Damm!" Harry cursed loudly, causing Kreacher to jump.

Harry sprinted upstairs and burst into Hermione's room. He felt his stomach drop when he found her room empty.

"Hermione!" he called desperately. When no answer came, Harry drew out his wand, thought of a happy memory, and shouted "_Expecto Patronum!"_ A brilliant silver stag shot out, looked at Harry once, then galloped through the wall to deliver Harry's message to Ron. He anxiously paced in Hermione's room until Ron's silver terrier fazed through the wall a minute later.

"_She's not here, mate," _said the terrier with Ron's anxious voice_. "I'm going to check out the market and the area nearby, but knowing Hermione, she'll be at a different market so we won't find her. Don't worry mate, we'll find her_." After delivering its message, the terrier faded away.

Harry clenched his teeth in frustration in a desperate attempt to think of where else she might go to shop. Without even thinking of one, Harry turned on the spot and apparated to a small alley in London. Even if he had to search the whole city, Harry wouldn't stop until he found her.

* * *

Hermione walked out of the market with bags full of food. After making sure the coast was clear, she waved her hand over the bags to shrink them, cast a protection bag on her purse and put the shrunken bags inside. Hermione headed to a small alleyway to apparate back home, though she was almost sorry to end her alone time. She felt bad for leaving Grimmauld Place without telling Harry, but she couldn't take another shopping trip with an Auror bodyguard.

_I'll get scolded for sure when I get home, but it was worth it to have half an hour to myself,_ Hermione thought heavily.

Before Hermione could turn on the spot, she heard a swish of a cloak and felt a solid anti-apparition ward block her. She drew her wand from her packet and muttered '_Lumos_'. Standing at the very end of the alley that Hermione was standing in, was Lucius Malfoy.

"Good evening Miss Granger," Lucius sneered. Behind him two other cloaked figures shook with what Hermione thought was anticipation to attack.

"What do you want?" Hermione demanded defiantly. Her wand trembled as her shoulder began to sting.

Lucius chuckled and drew his own wand, his companions followed suit. "I want you. Apparently your filthy blood is part of the key I need to gain more power than even the Dark Lord could possess."

Hermione felt like someone had slashed her shoulder open again when the threat truly began to sink in. Thinking fast, she strengthened her _Lumos_ spell until it created a large flash of light right in front of her attackers. They cried out and covered their eyes.

While they were blinded, Hermione called out "_Expecto Patronum_!" Her silver otter shot out of her wand and raced away to deliver the message.

As soon as her patronus had fled, the light faded and Lucius fired a stunner at Hermione. Quickly, Hermione raised a shield to block the attack. The stunner stopped as soon as it hit the shield, but the shield began to crack when the other two began firing curses.

_I can't hold this much longer_, Hermione thought despairingly. _They'll break through any second now, and I won't see Ron or Harry again._

With a smirk, Lucius shouted, "_Sectumsempra_!" As soon as it hit her shield, it cracked, sending Hermione flying into the wall.

Hermione screamed in pain and clutched her shoulder while tears began to fall down her cheeks. Glaring, she shakily got to her feet and feebly gripped her wand tighter.

_I've got one shot to escape_, Hermione thought determinedly. _And_ _I have to time this right_.

Using wandless magic, Hermione summoned up every bit of dirt and dust in the alley. Her attackers cursed and blew the dust cloud away.

Lucius sneered when he saw Hermione running towards the street. He pointed his wand straight at her and with a voice full of malice, yelled, "_Crucio_!"

Hermione fell to the ground and screamed in agony while her body convulsed. Sweat started to stain her clothes and she struggled to stand.

"Poor little mudblood," Lucius jeered. "Where is your hero? Seems mighty irresponsible of him to let you out by yourself when there's danger afoot. But don't worry; I'll be sure to let him know that you'll be taken care of."

"Get away from her you bastard!"

Lucius looked up just in time to avoid a powerful stunner from behind him. Behind him stood a very angry Harry. Lucius smirked and pointed his wand at Hermione, who was still struggling to stand up.

"Good evening Mr. Potter. You're just in time to watch us take away your little mudblood witch."

Harry raised his wand again and stepped forward. His emerald eyes were blazing in anger and his magic was coming off so strong that it sent chills up Hermione's spine.

"You will not touch her," Harry said in a low, dangerous voice.

Lucius laughed and took another step towards her. "I wouldn't try anything Potter; if you attack me you won't be able to stop my friends here from killing the mudblood. Put your wand away if you don't want me to cast another Unforgivable on your filthy girlfriend."

Harry glared at Lucius and lowered his wand an inch. As soon as his wand began to lower, Lucius aimed his wand at Harry at the same time his two accomplices pointed theirs.

"_Avada_-"

Before Lucius or his two accomplices could finish their curses, a strong whirlpool of water surrounded Harry, protecting him, and pushed Lucius and the other two back. Once their guard was down, Harry aimed his wand at Lucius, but the water slowed his stunner and the anti-apparition ward was lifted, and Lucius gone before it could hit.

"Damnit!" Harry swore loudly before turning his attention to Hermione. "Hermione are you okay?" he asked desperately. He sprinted over to her and tried to give her a hug, but as soon as he touched her, she vanished melted away into water. "Hermione!"

"I'm safe Harry," Hermione's voice sounded from the alley.

Harry turned around and scanned the alley. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, the water that had shielded him began to flow together into one puddle. Once every drop was there, the water began to take form. Right before Harry's eyes, he saw a puddle of water shape itself into a beautiful, slender blue fox.

The blue fox shook itself and trotted over to Harry and glanced up at him with wide brown eyes.

Harry gasped in shock and knelt down so he could be eye level. "Is that you Hermione?"

"Yes," Hermione answered with her lean muzzle. "I'm so sorry Harry, as much as it pains me to admit it, you were right, I shouldn't have gone out on my own."

"It's okay Hermione," Harry said dazed.

He looked over Hermione and began to appreciate the beauty that she possessed as an Animagus. She had sleek blue for, her chocolate brown eyes, and three tails. There was no way that she was a normal fox.

"What are you Hermione? How can you talk as an Animagus, and how can you turn yourself into water?"

Hermione took a deep breath and shifted back into her human form. She was a little unsteady for a second, but quickly regained her composure. "I'm a Water Kitsune. And I have to find the other elements before our world is destroyed. Voldemort was only the beginning Harry and I have to be on the frontline again for the next stage of this war."

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**A/N- I'm back baby! Please review! Does anyone have any suggestions for the Earth or Fire Kitsune? I already have one for Air. REVIEW!**


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